Alaska attractions

Extending from the Southcentral Alaska city of Seward to Fairbanks in Alaska’s mountainous Interior Region, the century-old Alaska Railroad provides travelers access to some of the state’s most sought-after sights. Stops along the scenic 470-mile (750-kilometer) route include Anchorage, Whittier, and Denali National Park, offering train enthusiasts and outdoor adventurers alike a convenient way to explore Alaska’s historic cities and natural wonders by rail.

In 1964, an entire neighborhood of Anchorage slid into the ocean during what remains the most powerful earthquake recorded in North American history. Measuring 9.2 on the Richter scale, this tragic event is commemorated in Earthquake Park, where you can still see evidence of the devastating earthquake that permanently altered the Anchorage landscape.

Not far from the town of Seward, Alaska, dozens of glaciers comprise an icefield spanning more than 300 square miles (780 square kilometers) within Kenai Fjords National Park. The longest of these glaciers, Bear Glacier sits in a lagoon of the same name that draws adventurous campers, kayakers, and stand-up paddleboarders (SUPs) from Alaska and beyond.

For many visitors, a trip to Alaska just isn’t complete without catching a glimpse of the massive, snow-capped centerpiece of Denali National Park and Preserve. Topping out at 20,310 feet (6,190 meters), the Alaska Range mountain federally known as Mount McKinley (aka Denali) is the highest in North America. The peak is often shrouded in clouds, so there’s only a 30 percent chance of seeing it on a given day.

Just 22 miles (35 kilometers) outside of Ketchikan lies the vast and remote Misty Fjords National Monument—a collection of sea cliffs, deep-cut fjords, glacial valleys, thick rainforests, and roaring waterfalls. Accessible only by boat or floatplane, Misty Fjords is an outdoor playground for hikers, kayakers, and day cruisers.

Just three miles southwest of Anchorage, Lake Hood serves as the runway for one of the largest and busiest seaplane bases in the world. Nearly 200 flights take off daily from the waters of Lake Hood ferrying supplies and passengers to remote Alaskan communities and secluded mountain landscapes. This steady stream of float planes delights visitors and aviation buffs.

During Alaska’s pioneering days, every gold rush town had a red-light district; in Ketchikan, it was Creek Street. Prostitution wasn’t outlawed here until 1954, and it was legal as long as business wasn’t transacted on dry land. This explains why Creek Street isn’t a street at all, but an elevated boardwalk built on wooden pilings above Ketchikan Creek.

Totem Bight State Historical Park protects and displays 14 intricate totem poles, sourced from abandoned native villages and restored to their original splendor. Each tells a unique story of Tlingit and Haida carvers, offering insight into Ketchikan’s rich Native Alaskan heritage. There is also an onsite replica Native village with a Clan House.

At Fortress of the Bear, it’s all in the name: Black and brown bears are the main attraction at this wildlife rescue site in Sitka. Here, animals that are unable to return to the wild have free access to playgrounds and open space to roam. It’s one of the best places in Alaska to safely see a black bear or grizzly from a short distance away.

A 414-mile stretch of gravel and dirt, the Dalton Highway is one of the wildest roads in the world. It runs from Livengood—north of Fairbanks—to Deadhorse, just a few miles from the Arctic Ocean and the Prudhoe Bay Oil Fields. Originally for ice truckers, this mountain-traversing, wildlife-rich, ultra-remote highway is technically open to the public year-round. However, it’s best left to those looking for off-grid adventure in Alaska’s interior.

Comprising more than 2,500 islands, islets, rocks, spires, and reefs stretching from Cape Lisburne on the Arctic Ocean to the westernmost tip of the Aleutian Islands, the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge is America’s largest protected marine habitat. The refuge protects breeding habitat for millions of seabirds and offers incredible birdwatching and wildlife viewing opportunities for visitors.

Created in 1910 to commemorate the 1804 Battle of Sitka between the native Tlingit people and the Russian colonists, the Sitka National Historical Park is Alaska’s oldest cultural and historic park. Highlights include the traditional totem poles that line the trails throughout the grounds, and the Russian Bishop’s House, one of the few remaining examples of Russian colonial architecture.

Named after famed European explorer, Captain James Cook, the Cook Inlet stretches from Anchorage to the Gulf of Alaska and offers stunning coastal scenery and outdoor recreation opportunities galore. At its northern end, the Cook Inlet branches into the Knik Arm and the Turnagain Arm, which together almost completely surround the city of Anchorage.

The historic Guard Island Lighthouse lit up for the first time on September 15, 1924. The original 34-foot wooden structure was particularly important during the Klondike Gold Rush as it aided in shipping along the Southeast Alaska Inside Passage. Today, it’s known for its historical significance, peaceful beauty, and abundance of seals.

Tucked into the southern coast of Alaska, Prince William Sound is a spectacular wilderness area encompassing tidewater glaciers, fjords, secluded beaches, and more. Visitors are drawn to these remote waters to marvel at the marine life and coastal scenery and try a range of outdoor adventure activities, from sea kayaking, fishing, and whale watching to backcountry skiing and scuba diving.

Located in the remote southwestern corner of Alaska, Katmai National Park is one of the world’s best places to view brown bears in their natural habitat. In summer, they gather in the streams to feast on the abundant salmon. The bears are accustomed to humans so you can view them safely up-close for an unforgettable viewing experience.

What started out as an effort to save one injured bald eagle in a Sitka local’s backyard, the Alaska Raptor Center is now the state's largest bird center, rehabilitating between 100 to 200 eagles, falcons, owls, and other birds of prey each year. Visitors are drawn to the center to see raptors up close, hear their stories, and watch them relearn how to fly.

Exit Glacier, the only part of Kenai Fjords National Park that's accessible by road, is also one of the most accessible glaciers in Alaska. Visitors can hike right up to the wall of blue ice to listen as it crackles and learn about how this and other glaciers from the Harding Icefield have reshaped the landscape over time.

The Trans-Alaska Pipeline traverses 800 miles (1,287 kilometers) through the Alaska wilderness from the oil fields of Prudhoe Bay to Valdez where it is shipped to refineries. Built between 1974 and 1977 and requiring over 28,000 people to build, the pipeline is considered one of the world’s most amazing engineering marvels and the viewpoint outside of Fairbanks is one of the best places to view it.

Spanning 125 miles (201 kilometers) from Seward to Anchorage, the Seward Highway passes through the Kenai Peninsula and the Turnagain Arm of the Gulf of Alaska and is one of Alaska’s most scenic stretches of road. Multiple scenic viewpoints and roadside attractions including the Portage Glacier, Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, and Chugach State Park makes this scenic byway a destination in itself.

Tiny Ward Cove is found on Alaska’s pristine coastline, surrounded by the lush Tongass National Forest and tranquil waters. The cove itself provides a sheltered and idyllic harbor. Once an industrial port, fueled by a pulp mill, Ward Cove today is a small but delightful community, and a perfect place to recharge in nature.

Ketchikan’s Totem Heritage Center displays the largest collection of original 19th-century totem poles in Alaska, collected from abandoned Tlingit and Haida villages throughout the region. Baskets, masks, carvings, regalia, and historic photographs of old villages where the poles were found round out the excellent collection.

Flowing 82 miles (132 kilometers from its source in the Kenai Mountains to the Cook Inlet of the Pacific Ocean, the Kenai River is chock-full of salmon and trout making it the most popular sport fishing destination in Alaska. Each summer, millions of salmon return to the river from the Pacific Ocean to spawn in the same streams they were born in.

Made from over 1,000 tons of ice and snow, the Aurora Ice Museum is the largest year-round ice structure in the world. Completed in 2005 by world ice-art-carving champion Steve Brice and his wife, Heather, the museum features furniture, life-size knights on horseback, chandeliers shifting colors to mimic the Northern Lights, and even a bar, all made of ice.

Of Skagway’s three old cemeteries (besides Slide Cemetery and Pioneer Cemetery), Gold Rush is the oldest and the easiest to visit. The small, undeveloped cemetery holds the remains of hapless miners and local characters—the most famous is Jefferson “Soapy” Smith, an Old West con artist known for robbing his own customers.

Home to the largest concentration of bald eagles in the world, the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve provides a safe haven for eagles along the Chilkat River near Haines, Alaska. Created in 1982, this huge preserve also serves as a protected habitat for tundra swans, mountain goats, moose, and other animals. During the winter, thousands of eagles descend on the preserve, delighting nature lovers and photographers.

Extending from Washington’s Puget Sound, along the shores of British Columbia and into the Gulf of Alaska, the spectacular Inside Passage is a highlight of any trip to Alaska. Bays, beaches, peninsulas, fjords, glaciers, rivers, coastal towns, snow-capped mountains, and over 1,000 islands make the region an adventurer’s paradise.

Built during the peak of Russian colonialism in the region in 1842, the Russian Bishop’s House was once the center of Russian North American religion, culture, and education. Now a museum and historic landmark, the Russian Bishop’s House provides an opportunity to learn about life in Sitka during the Russian-American era.

For a swift introduction to Alaska’s culture, wildlife, and landscapes, a visit to the University of Alaska’s Museum of the North is a must. One of Fairbanks’ most popular attractions, the museum offers exhibits on everything from Indigenous cultures and the gold rush to dinosaurs, polar bears, and woolly mammoths. There are daily films as well, featuring adventures into the Arctic and the mysteries of the northern lights.

Enjoy a free air show with your picnic lunch at Lake Spenard. Connected by a canal in the 1970s, Lake Hood and Lake Spenard serve as the runway of one of the world’s busiest seaplane bases. Daily, nearly 200 planes use the base to shuttle goods and passengers to and from the Alaskan interior.